Hurricanes Select Artello Forestal in First Round
WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes

Hurricanes Select Artello Forestal in First Round

Published on May 6, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Lethbridge Hurricanes News Release


LETHBRIDGE, AB - The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club announced on Wednesday they have selected 2011-born forward Artello Forestal in the first-round of the 2026 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft.

Forestal, 14, was selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2026 WHL Draft. The Edmonton, Alberta, product had an impressive 2025-2026 season collecting 47 points (22g-25a) along with 22 penalty minutes in 21 regular season games with the OHA Edmonton U15 Prep team. He also added four points (2g-2a) and 16 penalty minutes in three post-season games with OHA Edmonton. Forestal, was born in December of 2011, is a late birthday which makes him not eligible until the 2030 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

"We were really impressed by his ability to put the puck in the net every opportunity that he got, he sees the ice very well and makes his linemates around him play well too," said Hurricanes Head Scout Garry Carson. "We really stressed that we wanted way more speed and skill in this draft and Artello is one of those players who has the attributes that we were looking for. We needed to add more scoring to our group moving forward and he will bring that to our lineup right away."

During the 2025-2026 season, the 5'10, 147-pound centre totaled 16 points (9g-7a) along with two penalty minutes with First Class U15 at the TED U15 tournament. He also collected nine points (5g-4a) with four penalty minutes with Team Alberta Gold at the 2026 Alberta Cup after racking up 12 points (7g-5a) and six penalty minutes at the John Reid Memorial with OHA Edmonton U15 Prep. Last year, Forestal recorded 44 points (22g-22a) along with 10 penalty minutes in 28 regular season games with the OHA Edmonton U15 Prep team during the 2024-2025 season.

The Hurricanes will hold 10 selections in round two through seven, including two third-round picks, two fourth-round picks, two sixth-round picks and four selections in the seventh round. Lethbridge also holds picks in round eight to 15.

The WHL will hold Day 2 of the Prospects Draft which will feature rounds two through 15 on Thursday, May 7th beginning at 10:00am MT., Fans can follow the rest of the draft online by visiting www.whl.ca/draft. Season Tickets for the 2025-2026 season, which will mark the Hurricanes 40th Anniversary season in Lethbridge, are now on sale with Loyalty Pricing available until July 2nd at 5:00pm. Premium Season Tickets are also available for an additional $250 per seat. Season Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Yates Memorial Theatre and VisitLethbridge.com Arena Ticket Centre, by calling 403-329-SEAT (7328) or online at www.visitlethbridgearena.ca. Catch up on all the latest on the Lethbridge Hurricanes by visiting the team's website at www.lethbridgehurricanes.com, and/or follow on Twitter @WHLHurricanes.

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 6, 2026


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